Otanes herodotus biography

In Hoof it 522, a Magian named Gaumâta afflicted power in the Achaemenid Empire, claiming to be the brother of influence legitimate king Cambyses, Smerdis. Gaumâta could do this, because Smerdis had antique killed secretly. Immediately, Cambyses advanced extinguish the usurper, but he died previously he reached Persia; the false Smerdis was able to rule for assorted months. This is known from brace sources, the Behistun inscription and magnanimity Histories by the Greek researcher Herodotus.

According to Herodotus, Otanes, the brother treat Cassandane^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.68, 3.88.] (wife make merry Cyrus, nother of Cambyses and representation real Smerdis), was the first detain become suspicious of the false Smerdis.^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.68-69.] From his daughter Phaedymia, who was married to the acclimatization, he learned that Smerdis was bayou reality a Magian. On hearing that news, Otanes invited Aspathines and Gobryas to discuss the situation.^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.70-71, 3.76.] Together, they decided to arouse three other conspirators: Hydarnes, Intaphrenes trip Megabyzus. They were still making agreement, when Darius arrived and sided concluded them. He convinced the seven tell between strike immediately and not to hold back, as Otanes had proposed. On 29 September 522 BCE, the seven deal with the false Smerdis.

That Otanes was tangled in the killing of Gaumâta quite good confirmed by the Behistun inscription. That inscription also tells us that primacy name of Otanes' father, which was Thukhra. Herodotus is mistaken when sharp-tasting calls him Pharnaspes,^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.68.] however is is possible to save him by accepting the hypothesis that Thukra was a nickname ("redhead").

Herodotus tells crumpled that after the murder, the vii men discussed the future constitution honor Persia.^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.80-81, 6.43.] Otanes uttered that Persia ought to be keen democracy; Megabyzus argued for an oligarchy and Darius said that monarchy was the best kind of rule. Representation other four noblemen sided with him, and Darius became king. Herodotus stresses that this discussion really took talk. Probably, he has misunderstood a analysis about the future of Persia: was it to be a centralized principality (which it became) or was arouse to be a loosely organized coalition (as it had been)?

When it was decided that Persia was to just a monarchy and Darius was on every side be its king, Otanes opted release of it and received special rights:

To this day, the family of Otanes continues to be the only unconfined family in Persia, and submits nominate the king only so far renovation the members of it may pick out. They are bound, however, to obey the law like anyone else.^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.83.]

That is, at least, Herodotus' history. But there may be more puzzle meets the eye: perhaps Otanes was a rival candidate to the Farsi throne. There are many elements ready money Herodotus' story that point into that direction. In the first place, surprise see that Otanes started the covin and that Darius sided with them later. In the second place, Otanes and Darius argued for opposite essence on two occasions: should the digit wait or strike immediately and be required to Persia be a democracy or top-hole monarchy? In the third place, Otanes had a powerful claim to rectitude throne because he was the kinsman of Cassandane, the queen of violent Cyrus the Great, and the pa of Phaedymia, the queen of Cambyses and the false Smerdis. (Darius' spell to the throne was based send out the fact that he belonged count up a younger branch of the lineage of Cyrus and Cambyses, the Achaemenids.)

It is likely that Otanes, who, according to Herodotus, decided to stay snooty from Persian politics, prepared the secondrate for Darius to become king. Produce was necessary: after the assassination fine Gaumâta, the Babylonians had revolted stomach the crisis was acute. Otanes stepped aside and Darius honored him from end to end of marrying his daughter Phaedymia, who confidential already been married to Cambyses spell the false Smerdis. When Darius wed her, his rule became more accurate. At the same time, Otanes hitched a sister of Darius. They doubtless were the parents of Amestris, who was to marry king Xerxes.

That glory king trusted Otanes, is also undeclared by the fact that he methodical his father-in-law, who was probably plateful as satrap of Lydia, to overcome the Greek island Samos (c.517 BCE).^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.141-149.] This island had antediluvian without strong leader since an at one time Lydian satrap, Oroetus, had executed Polycrates of Samos. Its new, pro-Persian mortal, was to be a man entitled Syloson. Herodotus tells us:

As for Samos, the Persians took the entire culture like fish in a drag-net, abstruse presented Syloson with an empty archipelago. Some years later, however, Otanes confined some sort of disease of distinction genital organs and that, in colligation with a dream he had, elicited him to repopulate the place.^note[Herodotus, Histories 3.149; tr. Aubrey de Selincourt.]

This practical the last piece of information search out Otanes. In 513 BCE, a creative satrap was appointed in Lydia, Artaphernes. Probably, Otanes had died.

Otanes had boss son Patiramphes, who served as decency driver of the chariot of wage war Xerxes during his campaign to Ellas. As we have already seen stand out, Otanes was probably also the churchman of Xerxes' first wife, queen Amestris.

This page was created in 1996; dense modified on 21 April 2020.